There is actually a giant redwood in the woods just opposite our campground. This morning we see it for the first time.
We return to the State Forest to see Big Tree. In the 1920's someone wanted to cut the tree down to make a dance floor out of it, but there were so many protests that it was saved.
Earlier in the week we had been told that there was a local herd of elk, but we had been unsuccessful in finding them thus far. Today we get lucky. We go back to the same place we had been before, and there they are! 20 feet from the edge of the road, they are placidly grazing in the tall grass and eating berries from the bushes at the edge of the meadow.
There are 3 herds, with three males with huge racks of antlers, many females and a few youngsters. We stand in fascination as they completely disregard us and keep on munching.
One stupid observer, though, tries to imitate their call until the other bystanders shush him and remind him that what he is doing could endanger us all.
On our return trip, we observe a toad "walking" in the road. Not hopping, but walking on all fours. That's a first for us.
I talk to my little two-year old grandson tonight on speaker-phone. It was the first time we can actually chat without SKYPE. He knows who I am and who Bob is, without prompting and just by our voices rather than images. It's so exciting, developmentally, and so emotional for us. We miss him so.
He tells us that he had ridden on a fire truck at school but they didn't turn on the siren "No, they didn't did do dat" and that he was going to wear his football shirt tomorrow "I wear pooball shirt" (It's the first game of the playoffs for the Ravens, which his parents are fanatics about).
In the evening, we hear a huge crash down the road. Soon there are sirens and we wonder what has happened. After about an hour, we hear the sound of chainsaws and we are told that a giant old maple tree has spontaneously fallen into the road and blocked traffic completely.
Showing posts with label CA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CA. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Day 52- Monday, 8/10/09, SETTLED
We visit the state park that we heard had the biggest redwoods. Can't remember the name of it. The redwoods are unimaginably huge. We are very impressed by stories that they are more than a thousand years old. Next to them we feel dwarfed and unimportant.
There is a little trail through the redwoods that leads to a tiny waterfall. It is very peaceful there.
As we are driving back to our campground, we see an ad for another campground where there is a sign saying "Campground with host". It never occurred to us before that a campground wouldn't have a host and that this fact would need to be mentioned as a selling point.
In fact, we have been talking about perhaps some day in the future taking a summer somewhere we really loved on this trip and being a host. That would require cleaning bathrooms as well as answering people's questions and checking them in to the park, but we would get to stay in the campground for free.
In the evening, we are sitting around our little campfire outside our RV. Suddenly I hear a rustling and say to Bob: "There's something out there!" He runs to get our flashlight and shines it into the woods behind our vehicle. Sho' nuff, there's a real live black bear cub tugging at the black plastic of the garbage can at the edge of the road leading out!
After tearing off a piece and being unsuccessful in prying open the lid, he toddles off. We warn all the newcomers to the park about what we have seen.
There is a little trail through the redwoods that leads to a tiny waterfall. It is very peaceful there.
As we are driving back to our campground, we see an ad for another campground where there is a sign saying "Campground with host". It never occurred to us before that a campground wouldn't have a host and that this fact would need to be mentioned as a selling point.
In fact, we have been talking about perhaps some day in the future taking a summer somewhere we really loved on this trip and being a host. That would require cleaning bathrooms as well as answering people's questions and checking them in to the park, but we would get to stay in the campground for free.
In the evening, we are sitting around our little campfire outside our RV. Suddenly I hear a rustling and say to Bob: "There's something out there!" He runs to get our flashlight and shines it into the woods behind our vehicle. Sho' nuff, there's a real live black bear cub tugging at the black plastic of the garbage can at the edge of the road leading out!
After tearing off a piece and being unsuccessful in prying open the lid, he toddles off. We warn all the newcomers to the park about what we have seen.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Day 51 - Sunday, 8/9/09 - SETTLED
We do the typical touristy thing and drive through a giant redwood tree. I remember doing that in 1988 with my kids, who were then in 5th and 8th grade. The tree is owned by an elderly couple, and they make $4 every time a car drives through. Seemed like a pretty constant stream of people.
Next we drive the Coastal Highway and walk along a black volcanic cinder sand beach where the Klamath River is on one side and the Pacific on the other. So amazing. There are Yurok Indians fishing for salmon, where there are two sacred rocks, Oregos and her sister, protecting the mouth of the Klamath.
The Yuroks have had rights to that land since time immemorial, and their ritual rites site is nearby. Each structure, all built of redwood planks, has a specific purpose.
It's in the 70's here, and at night gets cold enough that we are now using 2 blankets and having a campfire before we call it a night. This is the first place since TN, 7 weeks ago, where we were allowed to have a campfire due to forest fire restrictions. What a pleasure.
This campground is very rustic, with few amenities, save the BBQ and music the night we arrived. There is no working laundry at the moment, and only one bathroom, which is far away and mostly occupied by tenters.
However, it is in the trees and very quiet, so we feel we have the whole place to ourselves at night. They don't water their grass, so it is all brown. We're happy, though, because the wireless internet connection is strong and free of charge.
We buy salmon jerky and enjoy its saltiness and chewy texture.
In the evening, "Fog creeps in on little cat feet". It's kind of spooky, because it's really like a cloud is coming to the ground to envelop the place. Maybe we've watched too many horror movies.
Bob is excited about seeing the giant redwoods, which he has never seen before. What is the difference between redwoods and sequoias, we wonder? We are told that redwoods grow on the coast and sequoias grow further inland. They can both be old growth trees and huge.
Next we drive the Coastal Highway and walk along a black volcanic cinder sand beach where the Klamath River is on one side and the Pacific on the other. So amazing. There are Yurok Indians fishing for salmon, where there are two sacred rocks, Oregos and her sister, protecting the mouth of the Klamath.
The Yuroks have had rights to that land since time immemorial, and their ritual rites site is nearby. Each structure, all built of redwood planks, has a specific purpose.
It's in the 70's here, and at night gets cold enough that we are now using 2 blankets and having a campfire before we call it a night. This is the first place since TN, 7 weeks ago, where we were allowed to have a campfire due to forest fire restrictions. What a pleasure.
This campground is very rustic, with few amenities, save the BBQ and music the night we arrived. There is no working laundry at the moment, and only one bathroom, which is far away and mostly occupied by tenters.
However, it is in the trees and very quiet, so we feel we have the whole place to ourselves at night. They don't water their grass, so it is all brown. We're happy, though, because the wireless internet connection is strong and free of charge.
We buy salmon jerky and enjoy its saltiness and chewy texture.
In the evening, "Fog creeps in on little cat feet". It's kind of spooky, because it's really like a cloud is coming to the ground to envelop the place. Maybe we've watched too many horror movies.
Bob is excited about seeing the giant redwoods, which he has never seen before. What is the difference between redwoods and sequoias, we wonder? We are told that redwoods grow on the coast and sequoias grow further inland. They can both be old growth trees and huge.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Day 50 - Saturday 8/8/09 - ON THE ROAD
Our marshmallow skewers hanging on the hook by the door is making a nice windchime when it connects with the metal rod we use to open our RV awning.
When you live in an RV, it seems you have to downsize everything, even your dog. Half the people we see traveling have what Bob calls "Little Yip-Yip Dogs". Some RV parks even specify that you can't bring a dog that weighs over 25 lb.
We have been seeing signs asking "Do You Have Defensible Space?". Until now we didn't understand what that meant. We figured it had something to do with fire safety, since the signs usually appeared at or near fire stations. Now we finally see a handwritten sign that explains: "Keep firewood far from the house. Keep a shovel on hand. Keep grass and brush cut short. Have an exit plan. "
We are led by a Pilot Car through construction due to "highway realignment". They are changing the shoulders to widen them, but their constraints include the narrowness of the road and the fact that there are cliffs on one side. The roads wind in extreme hairpin curves. The pilot car assures that noone speeds through the construction, which could injure both drivers and workers.
Our water bottles pop due to air pressure rising from the increasing elevation. They seem like they might explode; they are so fat. We feel we are in a roller coaster. It is helpful that the highway department has put in very tall reflectors, which reflect both on the bottom and at car height.
The Trinity River area is bounded by the Trinity Alps, rugged, rocky foothills coated with Ponderosa Pines. We pass two people getting ready to go tubing and kayaking. Looks like fun.
We see a huge sawmill at Weaverville. There are thousands of stacked full-length, tree-sized pine logs being sprinkled with water to age them. It's in a cute little Victorian town.
People build huge houses on the hilltops out West for the view. Can't even imagine the cost of just hauling all the materials up there.
Futher down the Trinity there are serious rapids. We watch as three teens tube their way through two sets of whitewater, screaming as they go through the rocky areas.
We get some nice sandwiches at Granny's Shack in Salier, CA, but they have no bathrooms. Aargh!
It appears that every National Forest sign says at the bottom: "Land of Many Uses". It took us four thousand miles to figure out the the saying applied to them all.
Route 101 winds in and out of ocean views and in and out of Tsunami Hazard Zones. The signs say "Entering Tsunami Zone" and then a few miles later when the road is higher above the water, "Leaving Tsunami Zone". Despite the fact that there is no severe weather predicted, and the water looks quite calm, I find myself heaving little sighs of relief at the second sign.
We see our second agri-pride sign of our trip. The first was a license plate back in Utah that said "I feed you". This time we see a hand-lettered wooden sign set up in front of a house that says "Fishermen Feed America". Driving these roads certainly does bring home the idea of where our food really comes from.
We arrive in Klamath, CA where we are rewarded by a free salmon/chicken BBQ dinner and live music. There are dozens of tables set up with umbrellas in the center, and a little stage with amps.
One of the guests who is not camping at our campground we call "Bikeman". He arrives on his bike and obviously has a mental health problem. Most of the time he is talking to himself, not making eye contact with anyone. The campground hosts seem very tolerant of him, so we figure he is a regular at their weekly BBQ's and they help him out with a free dinner.
We meet a young man, Eric, who is taking movies of the goings-on. He explains that he and his buddy, Ryan, are tent-camping here as part of a short road trip before college starts. They have known each other since Kindergarten.
There are three musicians. The string-bass player sits on his Handi-scooter the whole time. We hear that he sings beautifully, but cannot play and sing at the same time. The guitar player is an employee of the campground and provides the banter as well as doing most of the singing.
Towards the end of the second set, Ryan gets invited up on stage with his mandolin. For the rest of the performance, he joins the others to play and sing beautifully, a few old favorites and a few things he writes.
A Small World Story: Turns out Ryan is studying Film at Ithaca College and lives in Fall Creek! So we exhange details and plan to contact each other when we get home. Ryan already has a CD of his music and might change to the Music Department.
When you live in an RV, it seems you have to downsize everything, even your dog. Half the people we see traveling have what Bob calls "Little Yip-Yip Dogs". Some RV parks even specify that you can't bring a dog that weighs over 25 lb.
We have been seeing signs asking "Do You Have Defensible Space?". Until now we didn't understand what that meant. We figured it had something to do with fire safety, since the signs usually appeared at or near fire stations. Now we finally see a handwritten sign that explains: "Keep firewood far from the house. Keep a shovel on hand. Keep grass and brush cut short. Have an exit plan. "
We are led by a Pilot Car through construction due to "highway realignment". They are changing the shoulders to widen them, but their constraints include the narrowness of the road and the fact that there are cliffs on one side. The roads wind in extreme hairpin curves. The pilot car assures that noone speeds through the construction, which could injure both drivers and workers.
Our water bottles pop due to air pressure rising from the increasing elevation. They seem like they might explode; they are so fat. We feel we are in a roller coaster. It is helpful that the highway department has put in very tall reflectors, which reflect both on the bottom and at car height.
The Trinity River area is bounded by the Trinity Alps, rugged, rocky foothills coated with Ponderosa Pines. We pass two people getting ready to go tubing and kayaking. Looks like fun.
We see a huge sawmill at Weaverville. There are thousands of stacked full-length, tree-sized pine logs being sprinkled with water to age them. It's in a cute little Victorian town.
People build huge houses on the hilltops out West for the view. Can't even imagine the cost of just hauling all the materials up there.
Futher down the Trinity there are serious rapids. We watch as three teens tube their way through two sets of whitewater, screaming as they go through the rocky areas.
We get some nice sandwiches at Granny's Shack in Salier, CA, but they have no bathrooms. Aargh!
It appears that every National Forest sign says at the bottom: "Land of Many Uses". It took us four thousand miles to figure out the the saying applied to them all.
Route 101 winds in and out of ocean views and in and out of Tsunami Hazard Zones. The signs say "Entering Tsunami Zone" and then a few miles later when the road is higher above the water, "Leaving Tsunami Zone". Despite the fact that there is no severe weather predicted, and the water looks quite calm, I find myself heaving little sighs of relief at the second sign.
We see our second agri-pride sign of our trip. The first was a license plate back in Utah that said "I feed you". This time we see a hand-lettered wooden sign set up in front of a house that says "Fishermen Feed America". Driving these roads certainly does bring home the idea of where our food really comes from.
We arrive in Klamath, CA where we are rewarded by a free salmon/chicken BBQ dinner and live music. There are dozens of tables set up with umbrellas in the center, and a little stage with amps.
One of the guests who is not camping at our campground we call "Bikeman". He arrives on his bike and obviously has a mental health problem. Most of the time he is talking to himself, not making eye contact with anyone. The campground hosts seem very tolerant of him, so we figure he is a regular at their weekly BBQ's and they help him out with a free dinner.
We meet a young man, Eric, who is taking movies of the goings-on. He explains that he and his buddy, Ryan, are tent-camping here as part of a short road trip before college starts. They have known each other since Kindergarten.
There are three musicians. The string-bass player sits on his Handi-scooter the whole time. We hear that he sings beautifully, but cannot play and sing at the same time. The guitar player is an employee of the campground and provides the banter as well as doing most of the singing.
Towards the end of the second set, Ryan gets invited up on stage with his mandolin. For the rest of the performance, he joins the others to play and sing beautifully, a few old favorites and a few things he writes.
A Small World Story: Turns out Ryan is studying Film at Ithaca College and lives in Fall Creek! So we exhange details and plan to contact each other when we get home. Ryan already has a CD of his music and might change to the Music Department.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Day 46 - Tuesday, 8/4/09 - ON THE ROAD
The campground in Hat Creek where we were going to spend a few nights is evacuated due to wildfires, so we are going to change our route a little bit.
We go through an RV Wash this morning to get the red dust and sand off. The Rovin' Art RV looks a lot better now. I can take pictures out of the windows while we are moving if I absolutely must.
At the California border, we are stopped for an Agricultural Inspection to check for gypsy moths. The inspector gets on one of those sliders that rolls on four wheels under the car and checks the chassis. We get away with none found, even though he had a light. We are happy; he is disappointed.
The terrain is getting more green and more meadow-like, with less desert flora and more high grass. The hillsides are coated with cedars. There are oodles of clear ponds and small lakes. The transition from desert to pine forest is instantaneous.
We see stacks of hay for sale. Some farmers are raising llamas.
Our stop in Susanville, CA for lunch is relaxing.
We drive past Hat Creek and are astounded by the drama of the fire we could have been caught in. There is thick black smoke on both sides of the road. The road is closed. The firefighters are in their yellow gear. There are helicopters and small planes overhead constantly. We can see the flames.
We go through an RV Wash this morning to get the red dust and sand off. The Rovin' Art RV looks a lot better now. I can take pictures out of the windows while we are moving if I absolutely must.
At the California border, we are stopped for an Agricultural Inspection to check for gypsy moths. The inspector gets on one of those sliders that rolls on four wheels under the car and checks the chassis. We get away with none found, even though he had a light. We are happy; he is disappointed.
The terrain is getting more green and more meadow-like, with less desert flora and more high grass. The hillsides are coated with cedars. There are oodles of clear ponds and small lakes. The transition from desert to pine forest is instantaneous.
We see stacks of hay for sale. Some farmers are raising llamas.
Our stop in Susanville, CA for lunch is relaxing.
We drive past Hat Creek and are astounded by the drama of the fire we could have been caught in. There is thick black smoke on both sides of the road. The road is closed. The firefighters are in their yellow gear. There are helicopters and small planes overhead constantly. We can see the flames.
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